Professional Documents
Culture Documents
in Autism Education?
Research Team: Tony Charman, Liz Pellicano, Lindy V Peacey,
Nick Peacey, Kristel Forward, Julie Dockrell (2011)
Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE),
Department of Psychology and Human Development,
Institute of Education, University of London
B. Identify areas
of commonality
and difference
between these
providers.
C. Document a set
of good practice
guidelines based on
existing practice in
these schools.
Note that the remit of the research specifically excluded the comparison of the effectiveness of
specific interventions or programmes.
1.
2. Index
3
2. Index
2.
Index
2.1
Executive summary
5-7
2.2
8-14
2.3
15-18
2.3.1
Timetable
15
2.3.2
15
2.3.3
Selection of schools
15-16
2.3.4
Ethical considerations
17
2.3.5
17
2.3.6
Methods of analysis
18
2.4
19-41
2.4.1
19
2.4.2
Monitoring progress
21-22
2.4.3
23-25
2.4.4
26-28
2.4.5
29-32
2.4.6
Effective communication
33-34
2.4.7
Broader participation
36-38
2.4.8
39-41
2.5
Conclusions
42-44
2.6
Knowledge gaps and
43-45
2.7
Abbreviations
47
2.8
References
48
2.9
Acknowledgements
49
Executive summary
The AET has been asked by the Department for
Education to develop a set of standards for the
delivery of good practice in education provision for
children and young people on the autism spectrum.
These standards could form the basis for countrywide training in education provision for children and
young people with autism to be delivered by local
partners and accredited by the AET. The remit of
the current research was to characterise aspects of
good practice in autism education through in-depth
study of schools considered to demonstrate such
practice by AET, Ofsted and external agencies.
Sixteen schools were included in the research,
ranging from early years provision to provision for
19yearold pupils, educating pupils with autism
across the ability range in special schools, specialist
autism schools, and autism resource bases within
mainstream schools. The primary data collection
encompassed in-depth interviews with school staff
and, in some schools, with pupils and parents and
carers also.
Key findings
Despite the very diverse range of schools included
in this research, which educate pupils from right
across the autism spectrum, several consistent themes
emerged.
Schools had high ambitions and aspirations
for pupils with autism; for them to reach their full
potential and to be included in school and society.
They recognised the importance of helping pupils
with autism to develop problem-solving skills to
promote their independence both at school and
into adult life. Schools were interested in hearing
the pupils own voice about their learning
and other school activities. They also took time to
understand and establish strong relationships
with pupils seeing this as the starting point for
supporting their learning and well-being.
Schools went further than individualising and
adapting the curriculum for each pupil. They
saw the need for a unique autism curriculum,
which captured not only childrens learning needs
but also sought to address the social, emotional and
communication needs of children and young people
with autism, and to nurture their independence and
well-being. Schools used multiple assessments
2.1
What is autism?
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) or autism spectrum
conditions (ASC) are the common terms used to
describe the range of neurodevelopmental conditions
that are characterised by qualitative difficulties in social
interaction and communication and rigid and repetitive
ways of thinking and behaving1 (see Table 1). These
core behaviours are thought to be underpinned by
fundamental difficulties in both the flexible generation
of ideas and the understanding of, and thinking about,
other people and other situations. Sensory atypicalities,
including either hyposensitivity or hypersensitivity,
and unusual interests in some sensations (e.g., the
feel of clothes or the smell of hair) are common, as
are childhood psychiatric or mental health disorders,
especially anxiety and attentional difficulties2.
There is, however, much variation in the way that
children and young people with autism manifest these
different behaviours. A large proportion of children
with autism (around 50%) have an additional learning
disability; while some children and young people
may also have a severe intellectual disability, others
will have average or advanced intellectual abilities.
Difficulties with receptive and expressive language also
vary enormously. For some children, spoken language
is limited or absent altogether, while for other children
speech can be fluent, but their use of language to
communicate in social contexts (e.g., conversations) can
be odd, awkward, and often one-sided. Stereotyped
and inflexible behaviours range from hand-flapping
and finger-twisting to idiosyncratic special interests
(e.g., prime numbers, train timetables, drain pipes)
and an insistence on sameness (e.g., preferring
environments and routines to stay the same). The full
spectrum therefore includes children and young people
with very different presentations an observation that
first prompted Lorna Wing to coin the term the autism
spectrum to capture this wide variability3 and which
ICD-10 (1992). WHO.
Simonoff et al. (2008). JAACAP.
3
Wing (1996). Robinson.
4
Proposed DSM-5 ASD diagnostic criteria. APA.
2.2
are unable to achieve independence, to attain fulltime employment, or to enjoy friendships and social
interactions8,9. It is increasingly recognised that there are
very significant gaps in our knowledge of what affects
adult outcomes. One largely unexplored possibility
is that the very wide variability in outcomes for
individuals with autism may, in part, be associated with
variable support, ineffective interventions and lack of
knowledge by professionals working with the children.
This uncertainty regarding the life-long outcomes for
children with autism is worrying for parents and
carers, and practitioners alike and underscores the
important role of education, especially since children
and friendships
difficulties in picking up on non-verbal or emotional
cues
taking what is said to them literally
difficulties in picking up on social cues, particularly
in group activities
unpredictable emotional responses
(e.g., anxiety, outbursts) for no apparent reason
verbal compensation
problems starting/sustaining conversations
repetitive and stereotyped language
limited imaginative and imitative play
instructions
not responding when spoken to
poor comprehension of written text even if reading
decoding is good
solo or parallel play in place of group play
unexpected events
difficulties maintaining attention without external
structure/support
difficulties moving from one activity to another
less likely to pick up on the gist of a situation or
activity
Hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment:
people
needs one person/thing at a time
fascination with (looking, smelling, licking) objects
or people
10
Table 1 What does autism look like and how might it affect learning
Previous UK guidelines
The DfES/DH Autistic Spectrum Disorders: Good
Practice Guidance12 had two purposes. First, it was
intended as an introduction to health and education
practitioners to the nature of autism, in particular
identifying principles underlying effective practice.
Second, it provided a list of school, local authority and
regional pointers to good practice which could be
used as an audit tool for local authorities and districts to
monitor their current and future practice and policy. The
key principles highlighted were:
6. multi-agency co-operation
7. clear short-term and long-term goals, in particular
to develop the social skills of children and young
people with autism
14
11
11
International guidelines
In 2007 the US Department of Education, Office of
Special Education Programs created the National
Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum
Disorders (ASD). The NPDC has a remit to review and
disseminate evidence-based practice on autism via training
partnerships with State Departments of Education and
open access training materials on the interventions (Autism
Internet Modules)16. Another recent report from the USA the
National Autism Center National Standards Project:
Evidence-Based Practice and Autism in the Schools17
provided both a summary review of the effectiveness of
various intervention programmes and expert guidance on
the implementation of these approaches within education
services in the USA. Broadly, both of these reports
summarise the evidence base for a variety of interventions.
Both emphasise the need for professional judgement
regarding which interventions and approaches to
implement as well as the need to use data (on an
individual childs progress) to inform decision-making; the
need for family values and preferences (including of pupils
with autism) to be taken into account; and the capacity of
the school and practitioner to reliably implement the
intervention/programme.
Similar content was reviewed for the Irish National
Council for Special Education report on Evidence for
Best-Practice Provision in the Education of Persons with an
Autism Spectrum Disorder18. The report concluded that
the evidence base for the impact of specific educational
settings and interventions was insufficient to make
definitive, universal recommendations. However, expert
consensus indicated that working with families, multiagency working, an emphasis on transitions and including
the voice of individuals with autism were consistent with
best practice.
Other relevant international guidelines make similar
recommendations on education for learners with autism,
including the New Zealand Autism Spectrum Disorder
Guideline19, which in addition emphasised that models
adopted should fit the characteristic of the child and the
learning situation, that social progress (e.g., spontaneous
communication, socialisation and play) was a priority
target, carefully planned individual instruction should be
tailored to the individual needs and abilities of the learner
with autism, and that positive behavioural support should
focus on understanding the function of a child or young
persons behaviour in order to develop an appropriate
intervention plan.
NZ ASD (2008).
19
12
TDA (2011).
DfES (2004). Removing
Barriers to Achievement.
20
24
27
21
25
28
13
Box 1 C
ontextualising good practice in autism education
Tier 3:
highly
specialist
Tier 2:
specialist
Tier 1:
quality-first teaching
Tier 1 reflects quality first good practice for children generally, including school
policies, staff, leadership, classroom practice, and approaches to learning, and
represents the bulk of educational practice. Tier 2 reflects more specialist support
for children with special educational needs generally (e.g., support for families,
which is particularly critical because families of children with SEN are a vulnerable
population). Tier 3 is highly specialist approaches to education
(e.g., augmentative communication approaches).
28
14
2.3
Research methods
2.3.1 Timetable
Following the award of the research in January 2011,
the review of the literature was completed in March
2011, the interviews with school staff, pupils and
parents and carers completed in April 2011 and the
analysis in May 2011.
29
15
Age range
School 1
2 to 5 years
Type
Sector
Ofsted Report
ASD school
Non-maintained
Outstanding
School 2
11 to 18 years
MS with ARB
LA
Outstanding
School 3
4 to 16 years
ASD school
Non-maintained
Outstanding
School 4
3 to 19 years
ASD school
Non-maintained
Good with
outstanding features
School 5
11 to 19 years
Special school
LA
Good with
outstanding features
School 6
3 to 19 years
Special school
LA
Outstanding
School 7
3 to 19 years
ASD school
Non-maintained
Outstanding
School 8
4 to 19 years
ASD school
LA
Outstanding
School 9
3 to 19 years
ASD school
LA
Outstanding
School 10
2 to 19 years
Special school
LA
Outstanding
School 11
3 to 11 years
MS with ARB
LA
Good with
outstanding features
School 12
3 to 11 years
MS with ARB
LA
Good with
outstanding features
School 13
11 to 18 years
MS with ARB
LA
Outstanding
School 14
3 to 12 years
MS with ARB
LA
Outstanding
School 15
11 to 19 years
Special school
LA
Outstanding
School 16
3 to 11 years
MS with ARB
LA
Good with
outstanding features
Key: ASD school = School for pupils on the autism spectrum. MS with ARB = Mainstream School with Autism
Resource Base or Centre; LA = Local Authority; NAS = National Autistic Society.
16
17
Role
Number of staff
interviewed
Head of Service
Head Teacher/Principal
Deputy Head
Head of Inclusion
Head of Further
Education
Class Teacher
Teaching Assistant
SENCo
Total
29
30
31
1. Ambitions and
aspirations
2. Monitoring progress
3. Adapting the
curriculum
4. Involvement of other
professionals/services
5. Staff knowledge and
training
6. Effective
communication
7. Broader participation
8. Strong relationships
with families
These themes are listed as per the order of progression of the interviews
rather than with regards to how frequently they were raised by participants.
18
2.4
Theme 1:
ambitions
and
aspirations
Category 2:
achieving
key skills
Category 1:
school ethos
maximise
potential
included in
school/society
social
communication
independent/
life skills
pupil
well-being
academic
skills
19
20
School ethos
Theme 2:
monitoring
progress
Category 2:
sharing
information
on progress
Category 1:
recording
systems and
practices
creative
approaches
for measuring
progress
multiple
measurement
systems
monitoring
social
progress
sharing
childrens
progress with
parents
fluid
stafftostaff
communication
celebrating
pupils
achievements
recording
behaviour
whole school
practices
21
22
Theme 3:
adapting the
curriculum
Category 1:
modifying
the National
Curriculum
Category 2:
autismspecific
approaches
imaginative
ways of
teaching
differentiation
of National
Curriculum
modifications
to delivery
individualised
programmes
for pupils
emphasis
on learning
about social
world
toolbox
approach
utility
beyond children
with autism
23
24
25
Theme 4:
Involvement
of other
professionals
Category 1:
recognition of
issues which
require external
expertise
Category 2:
joint working
with other
professionals
access to
CAMHS and EP
services
SALT and OT
expertise
essential
some staff
with health
background
26
27
So I go to a meeting at CAMHS on a
fortnightly basis where we can discuss
cases.
And also the childrens wellbeing, which
will include their anxieties and social
understanding, so that they can be included
and have access to the breadth of the
curriculum.
28
Theme 5:
staff
knowledge
and
training
Category 1:
staff
characteristics
and expectations
Category 2:
training and
dissemination
spreading
good practice
high
expectations of
staff
provide
training for
parents
inhouse
and external
training
dedicated
staff
pride in
staff group
strong
leadership
offer training
for other
professionals
frequent
training for
all staff
29
30
31
We dont have to
keep thinking what
will be good for
them. The teachers
are always
researching what
will make their
lives better.[parent]
32
Theme 6:
effective
communication
high levels
of staff-to-staff
communication
Category 2:
communication
between staff
and parents
Category 1:
communication
between staff
Category 3:
listening to
pupils
observation
of others
practice
day-to-day
input from
pupils
multiple
methods of
communication
high levels
of staff
availability
importance
of transitions
formal
structures
joint input
in setting
pupil targets
33
Listening to pupils
Perhaps reflecting the range of pupils across the spectrum
in the schools, there was some variability in practice in
including pupils in decision-making both about their IEPs
and about choices of activity. Nevertheless, across the
range of provisions, there were some notable examples
of ensuring that pupils voices were heard, and these
were reflected in work with individual pupils, and
inclusion in school decision making.
Many schools had put in place a formal mechanism
for listening to students views and for ensuring that
learning and/or extra-curricular activities in the school
were informed by these views. This mechanism was
not only empowering for the pupils but it also informed
the management team about the main issues for these
young people. It represented a thorough commitment to
meaningful involvement of pupils on the autism spectrum
in their education.
34
35
Theme 7:
broader
participation
Category 2:
joint activities
with mainstream
pupils
Category 1:
ambassadors
raising autism
awareness in
the community
pupils in
the local
community
promoting
genuine
inclusion
raising
awareness of
neurodiversity
invite
community
into school
36
Ambassadors
Schools saw themselves as community autism
ambassadors with a role to raise awareness about
autism in the local community more broadly. This was
achieved by a number of activities such as holding
annual public events (e.g., picnics, Autism Awareness
Day events), visiting local schools to hold assemblies,
and making parents and carers and other schools
aware of the autism provision within the school. Many
of these activities involved outreach into the community
but also involved inviting local school staff and pupils
into their schools.
37
38
Theme 8:
relationships
with families
Category 2:
understanding
the children
and young
people
Category 1:
working
together
challenges
of working with
parents
reciprocal
relationships
recognition
that families
are vulnerable
supporting
parents
39
40
Working together
41
Conclusions
Despite the very diverse range of schools included in
this research, which educate pupils from right across the
autism spectrum, several consistent themes emerged.
Schools had high expectations for their pupils with
autism (Theme 1); used multiple assessments
to monitor progress beyond those statutorily
required in order to monitor childrens progress in terms
of academic skills but also social and behavioural
outcomes (Theme 2); were well versed in individualising
and adapting the curriculum for each pupil
acknowledging that pupils with autism have additional
and unique needs and unique approaches to learning
and the broad autism curriculum reflected these needs
(Theme 3); encouraged effective and sustainable
relationships with specialist health and
social care practitioners, in particular SALTs,
OTs and CAMHS (Theme 4); nurtured expert,
highly motivated staff for whom training
was a priority both inside and outside the
school gates (Theme 5); had very high levels of
communication with parents and carers,
both about approaches to learning and on strategies
to promoting positive social and behavioural outcomes
and well-being (Theme 6); were characterised by
strong leadership and vision, which saw their
school as fully inclusive and deeply embedded within
the local community, taking on an ambassadorial
role to raise awareness about autism (Theme 7);
and worked hard at developing fully reciprocal
relationships with families parents and carers
and children and young people (Theme 8).
Policy implications
Many of the themes that emerged from the research
are reflected strongly in the SEND Green Paper38. The
Green Paper emphasises that it is crucial to families
of children with SEN and/or disability that education,
health, social care and voluntary services work well
together, echoing the draft NICE guidance14. It also
stresses the need for staff working with children with
SEN to have high expectations of them and the skills
to help them to learn (p.13), and to be educated
by people who understand their impairments (p.
89). The Green Paper also sees a role for special
schools to share their expertise and services to support
the education, progress and development of pupils
in other special and mainstream schools (p. 89).
Our research suggests that good practice in autism
education can occur successfully via local partnerships
between experts within these provisions, teachers
and professionals within local schools (particularly
mainstream schools), and with parents and carers.
One suggestion would be for autism specialist schools
and units to become centres of excellence for autism
Ofsted (2010).
Osted (2009).
37
NAS (2010).
38
DfE (2011). SEND Green Paper.
35
36
42
2.5 Conclusions
2.5
2.5 Conclusions
43
2.5 Conclusions
2.
Embed specialist, evidence-informed approaches in quality-first teaching
practice to remove barriers for pupils on the autism spectrum.
professionals to support language and communication, emotional wellbeing and an environment conducive to learning.
10. Disseminate practice and share expertise with schools and professionals in
the local community, and with parents.
11. Develop a close working relationship with parents, which recognises their
key role, expertise and joint decision making.
12. Seek to build and maintain strong connections with pupils, and ensure that
they are active participants in choices about curricular and extra-curricular
activities and how the school is run.
13. Recognise parents need for support so that learning continues outside the
school.
14. Act as a focal point for raising awareness about autism in the broader
community, ensuring that pupils with autism have meaningful, visible
participation in the local community.
15. Strong leadership and a clear vision to implement all of the above.
44
2.6
Testing implementation
Many of the practices identified seemed based
on a good understanding of children and young
people with autism, their strengths and weaknesses,
and approaches to help support and overcome
these within school. Some of the practices focused
on individualisation of the curriculum, whilst others
concentrated on the use of particular approaches or
elements of programmes. A review of the evidence
base of particular programmes and approaches was
beyond the remit of the current research but a series of
inter-related questions arose following data collection.
Did staff implement the practices they described in the
way that they said? Were these practices successful
in achieving their aims? Research is needed to study
the fidelity of implementation of programmes within
schools and to determine whether they are effective
in achieving their aims. There is some evidence that
school practitioners are variable in the extent to which
they actually implement the programmes they say that
they are following42. Further, there is also evidence
that fidelity to specialist autism programmes falls
off leading to attenuation of progress when expert
monitoring is not continued43. Despite the strengths of
the current research, in particular in accessing in-depth
the views of experienced autism education practitioners,
systematic research on the fidelity of implementation of
generic and specialised practice is required.
39
42
40
43
45
ASDAN (2011).
HTA (2011).
44
45
46
Monitoring progress
2.7 Abbreviations
2.7
Abbreviations
ABA
ASC
ASD
DfES
DH
Department of Health
EP
Educational Psychologist
IDP
IEP
NC
National Curriculum
NICE
Occupational Therapist
47
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2.8 References
2.8
2.9 Acknowledgements
2.9 Acknowledgements
2.9
Acknowledgements
49
Designed by Genium